The mark you aimed for

For creative spirits building sustainable brands, I think one of the most important “laws” in the book, “The 48 Laws of Power” is ““Do Not Go Past The Mark You Aimed For”.

Without that law, we’re lulled by VC-flavored culture of “bigger is better”. More followers, products, revenue… “more”.

We’re tricked into thinking a webpage isn’t worth taking the time to make enjoyable for readers, like this comic-strip product update from Teenage Engineering. Nevermind that it invests in the culture of their crowd, further endearing current-and-future buyers to the brand. Why bother when you could just have a sterile, AI-generated update page instead?

We’re tricked into thinking a restaurant shouldn’t stop at one location, like The Den in Shibuya Tokyo. Nevermind that its known the world over for their strongly-held beliefs about Omotenashi (hospitality) that are precisely why people talk about it in the first place. Why bother being loved when you can just have a copy-paste experience just like everywhere else instead?

Remember the mark you aimed for.

Don’t trade it for what others think you should have aimed for.

It’s a lousy trade that costs your dreams.